Children's cognitive, affective and behavioral capabilities in coping with the emotional distresses of other persons are investigated. Relationships among these domains and possible changes in these relationships with age are assessed. Arousal of affect and prosocial interventions were measured in the context of several simulations of emotion. Traditional measures of perspective taking and role taking, and new tests of reasoning were administered. Twenty-two, five- to seven-year-old children who constitute a longitudinal sample were studied as were 60, four- to eleven-year-old children in a cross-sectional research design. The measures of reasoning indicate that many children, some very young, use concepts of empathy, guilt, aggression, and egocentrism to interpret other's psychological states. Children are often able to articulate complex theories to explain emotional and antisocial behaviors, and further are aware of some of the ambiguities and multiple motives underlying behavior.